It was dark in the library. Everyone had retreated to the dormitories, except for one girl. She hid in the shadows, stealthily walking amidst the high bookshelves. She was looking for one particular book. They said it was here, in this academy.

Kari Firestone quietly continued her search. It was said to be the most powerful book ever. It had belonged to Kameo, the adept of the adepts of magic. In it, many spells would have said to be listed, and Kari wanted to find this book. Not only to gain the power to defeat her arch rival, the one who killed her parents, but also to find her lover back, who had been sent to an unknown dimension.

She took a deep breath but inhaled many layers of dust and sneezed. The sneeze reverberated through the long halls, and she stood still, listening carefully. She hoped no one had noticed that.

She went on, her fingers dancing about the backs of the books, eagerly to find what they desired. Got ya.

There was it. Kameo's Book of Shadows. The Adept's most important item.

Renate watched her friend from a distance. She knew Kari didn't know much about fighting and power and she needed to be a great warrior to be able to beat the murderer of her parents. Renate decided to help her. She would stand by her and train her, not that she was an expert at fighting herself. But she couldn't just watch her friend try and fail. Even if she's do brilliantly alone. She had to help her. That's what friends are for after all.

Kari eagerly browsed through the book, absorbing everything that was in it. An energy drain spell, a paralyzing spell, a blessing spell... Where was it? Where was Kameo's most powerful spell? Where was the spell you needed to cast upon yourself to be able to get inside your oponent's mind?

Renate watched her friend closely. It looked like she was looking for something. Maybe a certain spell. But which one? Maybe she could help her. She could at least ask the villagers. Maybe they knew where to find what Kari was looking for.
'What are you looking for, Kari?' she asked.
Kari turned around. Renate had startled her.

'Oh, it's you!' she said full of relief. 'The commoner's already told me you were back from your journey, what are you doing here?'
'Just wandering about,' was Renate's reply. 'And what are you doing here?'
Kari watched the book in her hands for a few seconds and then sighed. 'I'm looking for a very mighty spell. You know, the one which made Goddess Kameo... Goddess Kameo. The one which gave her the ability to get inside the enemy's mind. From inside, she could tear her enemies to pieces. That's what I want to achieve.' She looked a bit sad.

Renate was shocked. She didn't know there existed a spell like that. It sounded terrifying. 'Do you think it's in that book?' she asked.
'I hoped it would be. But I can't find it,' Kari sighed.
'Maybe we could ask the villagers,' Renate suggested. Kari looked at her with a 'you're insane'-look.
'Sure. Just walk up to the villagers and know how to learn one of the most powerful spells in history that can drive your enemies mad and tear them to pieces,' Kari said sarcastically.
Renate blushed.
'Or maybe not. We could ask professionals. Local wizards or witches.'
Kari thought for a second.
'Maybe. We must be careful. We can't trust all wizards and witches here. Some are evil. They will inform their superiors at once if you ask them. We have to ask the right person. But who?'

Sayle was browsing the books of elemental fire a few bookshelves away. He had snuck in when the other girl had. The books were boring, usually talking about how hard some of the spells were. He snorted loudly. In a few thousand years he had learnt to be patient, but these wizards who constantly whined about hard work was begining to fray his nerves. Some of the spells were cast by words, others from your magical reserves.

With a soft curse he put another book on the shelf. Useless. Then another caught his eye. "Kameo's book of Mind Dueling? For first-levels? Why would an adept have a teaching book for first levels? This library really needs some organising. And why is it in the elemental fire section? Someone really needs to teach the librarians how to read. It should be mandatory."

Grumbling he put it back, hoping he had not disturbed anyone else, and kept browsing for something useful. "Whiners and Disorganised. Pathetic."

Renate saw the boy walk over to a different shelf close to the door. He was seemed lost in thoughts. Renate picked up the book he had put back on the shelf. She stared at the front: Kameo's book of Mind Dueling for first levels. Maybe her friend could use this book, she though and put in underneath het sweater and left the library quickly.

Kari had returned to the dormitories to get some sleep. She knew it was too suspicious to stay in the library all the time, although she did want to. But another boy had already sneaked in, and she didn't want him to get suspicious about her or Renate. Elves did not usually come here, except if they needed to teach some of the students their ways of nature magick.

She just intended to go to sleep when she heard a soft knock on her door. She raised her head abruptly and caught her breath. 'Who is it?'

A familair voice spoke. 'It's me.' Kari turned around and saw Renate standing behind her. She sighed relieved.
'Were you expecting someone?' Renate asked. 'A lover?' she grinned. Kari knew she was joking.
'No, of course not. You know full well we'll get in trouble if you stay here all night. We better not get caught.'

'So, what brought you here?' Kari asked curiously. 'I was surprised to see you were gone that quickly. I already feared you were caught or something like that!'
She patted the blanket of her bed to beckon Renate to sit down. 'You weren't caught, were you?'
She studied Renate's face.

Renate had a naughty smile on her face, as if she had done something that was not allowed in the school.

'I wouldn't dare,' she said, faking an angelic expression. She sat down next to Kari. 'I stole something,' she admitted. Kari sighed. She wasn't surprised. 'What?' she said, knowing Renate wouldn't say what it was until she asked her about it.
'The Marauder's Map,' Renate said.
A shocked expression appeared on Kari's face. 'That exists? I thought it was a myth,' she said.
'No, it's not! Professor Goodwell had it in his drawer! I don't think it's the one J.K. Rowling wrote about, but he might have liked her idea and created one himself. And it works! We can see where the professors and the students are at whenever we want.'
Kari couldn't believe it. It existed and it worked? It was too much for her to bear.
Renate put her hand in her pocket and grabbed the map. She flung it on the table and Kari stared at it for a few seconds.
'We can now go to the library whenever we want. Even to the restricted section,' she added. Kari looked at her and smiled.
They would go tonight. Professor Goodwell might find out the map was missing the next day, so they had to use it immediately.

Rashar was able to sneak into the library after dark. He was searching for a book..but for some reason he did not know what it was. Something was just calling him. As the boy was searching without any idea at all to what he was looking for, he heard a noice. Quickly he hid in the shadows hoping that he would not be noticed. There were two other people in there and by the sounds of it...they were not supposed to be in the library either.

'Do you know where to find Kameo's Book?' Kari whispered to Renate, as they sneaked into the library again, Renate holding the map in front of her face.
'Is it safe?'
She was so afraid that anyone would notice them. If they were caught, who knows, maybe she would be expelled! That was her worst nightmare. Her uncle had done such a hard job to get her in.

'I think it's in the restricted section,' Renate said and they saw a sign which said: Restricted section. 'It's almost too easy,' Renate remarked with a grin and they took a look at the forbidden books. You could tell they were dangerous. The colours of the covers were dark and the letters a scary font. After searching for a while Renate took a look at the map and noticed a name. Rashar. He was also in the library. Was he an enemy? Would he betray them? Kari noticed the worried expression on Renate her face.
'What is it?' she asked.
'Nothing,' Renate said with a faint smile, deciding not to be worried. The student wasn't allowed to be here either, so he probably wouldn't betray them. So she hoped anyway.
'I found it!' Renate heard suddenly. She stared at Kari. She was holding a blood-red coloured book. There were big, bright letters on the cover saying: Kameo's Book.

Kari's heart made a massive jump when Renate took the book. At last! Kameo's most powerful Book of Spells and Enchantment! The book she had been searching for such a long time was here, in her friend's hands!
She felt very excited as Renate turned the front pages and quickly browsed through the book.
At that moment, they were suddenly startled by a soft poof somewhere in the surrounding area.
Renate raised her head abruptly, and gave Kari a warning look.
'Be quiet,' Kari whispered.

Karilooked in the direction the noise had come from, but she didn't see anyone. She used the light spell to see in the dark. She examined every inch of the room. Who was there?
'Don't worry. It's one of the students,' Renate said and showed Kari the name on the map. 'Rashar?' Kari said, frowning. 'Yes, apparently. I don't know him. He's probably not allowed to be here, either. So he won't betray us. Let's leave, though. We can take the book with us,' Renate suggested.
Kari nodded.
They left the library quickly and Kari put the book underneath her robes. They got back to the dormitory and went back to sleep. But Kari couldn't sleep.

Kari kept thinking about her past, her goals, and the book. This was too odd for words. She had finally found it with the help of her loyal friend Renate, who always seemed to show up in times when she needed her. Maybe she would finally destroy her arch enemy, and retrieve her love. She had the feeling she would with Renate's help. It's always good to have a good friend like her.
It started raining. Small drops of water showered down on the windows, while thunder slowly rumbled outside.
Kari pulled the blankets over her head and tried to sleep. She loved thunderstorms. They were great to look at, to be in (although that would seem strange to many) and she also loved listening to them whilst she lay in bed. In the dark surroundings, she always got a very content and cosy feeling. The rain also helped her to fall asleep easier. She smiled to herself and closed her eyes.
She had to abandon these thoughts, otherwise she would look like a zombie tomorrow...

Rashar got up right as the door to the restricted area closed. Something inside of him thought that the two students knew of his existance, but it wasn't strong enough. He got up slowly, making sure that no one else was in the dark with him. He noticed something though...a small feeling left with the girls, as if the thing he was searching for was missing.. As he pressed on, a shred of paper caught his eye. It was a torn corner to a map. He could only see a few lines, but he was sure it was a map that involved magic. He put the paper in his pocket and started looking again.

The sunlight shone on Renate her face and woke her up gently. She blinked a few times. She looked beside her. Kari was still vast asleep. Renate got up, put her clothes on and brushed her teeth. It was Saturday, so they didn't have school today. What would they do? Would they go shopping? Would they look for the spell? That would be dangerous. They could not be seen with the book.

When Kari awoke again, she found out that it still was night. The sound of footsteps had startled her, but come to think of it, they could have been in her dream, for she didn't hear it anymore.
She rubbed her tired eyes and yawned. Perhaps it would be a good idea to take a look around the Academy.
She shove her legs over the edge of her bed and grabbed her dressing gown, after which she opened the door of the dormitory and peered outside.
There was no one here. She took a deep breath and sneaked outside. She wandered about the halls for some time, and she ended up in the library again.
She was just about to return to the dormitories, when she heard footsteps again. She pricked up her ears, pressing herself to the wall. There was someone inside the library. A dark silhouette of a boy walked past the many bookshelves. It seemed that he was searching for something.
Kari caught her breath. Was he a student? She surely didn't know him. She silently shook her head and smiled.
No Kari, you're not going to squeal on him. You too were in this library when you weren't allowed to.
She was just intending to leave, when her knee bumped into a small table with candles on it. It made a hollow thumb, and the candles rattled.
Kari's missed a beat, and she pressed herself to the wall again. She could hear the boy had stopped.
Oh no, you got yourself into trouble again, Kari.. she thought frightened.

Selena hid herself behind a large, white pilar. She hoped the two others wouldn't have noticed her. They weren't supposed to knew what she was up to. She didn't want to get herself into troubel. AGAIN. It had been worse enough she had snuck out at night to look for the book. Without succes of course. How very typical.

'Maybe someone already has the book?' she asked the void around her. She shook her head. 'No, that just can't be.' Her breath was slow and deep. She didn't want to be heard. She heard someone walking in her direction. She quickly ducked and crawled underneath a table. When the person walking towards her would pass the table he or she wouldn't see her, not al all. For the tablecloth covering the table pretty much reached to the floor.

'Where is it!' she heard a boy's voice shout, obviously.

'Oh, no!' she thought. 'Could it be that more than her were looking for that book? Kameo's Book?' She sighed softly. 'If only Renate and Kari were here. They could quickly snap the book before he could get his dirty, little hands on it.' She cursed.

Too bad she couldn't be seen here. The headmaster had forbidden her to enter the library after that pyromancy accident, burning a couple of old carpets that decorated the wall... And that because she had The Firedragonsniffles, too, so she couldn't help it! Really childish. Now she was banned from the library for two whole weeks! How in the blazes was she going to do her homework now? Had he ever thought of that? No, all he seemed to care about were his precious 12th century carpets.

Slowly she raised the tablecloth, searching the room for the boy she had heard talking earlier. He shouldn't see her. Then he could threaten to tell on her if she got into a fight with him over the book. Everyone knew about her being banned. Which of course didn't really improve her reputation. It was already well-known she had a special talent. For getting into trouble.

Rashar was just leaving the library when he heard a sound! There was someone in there with him.
how did someone get in here without me noticing?
As he went to see what the sound was, a figure apeared infront of him. It was a girl.
maybe that was one of the girls in here earlier..
As he came closer there was a whipser.
"who's there?" the girl said.
Rashar puased but was forced to talk, knowing that if he lay hidden the girl may become more interested in his causes. "hello? how did you get in here?"

Kari took a deep breath. 'I was just... walking. I was on my way to the dormitories. I couldn't sleep...'
She rubbed her eyes but knew that this sounded very unrealistic.
'And what are you doing here? You aren't supposed to be in the library either,' she said, avoiding his question. 'Are you looking for something?'
She smiled, trying to look as innocent as possible.

"Well then I guess we are both here without permission, so i think i can trust you with why I am here."
Rashar brushed his hair back as he seemed to open himself up.
"I awoke from my chamber right as everyone was falling asleep. I'm not even sure that I was awake, but some mystical force was pulling me to the library." He hesitated for a second. "I think i came into the restricted area before you, but nothing was very clear to me at the time. I hid in the shadows until you left with your friend and began my search again...but i found this peice of paper. It isn't what i think it is....is it?"

Kari laughed scornfully. 'Ah... that is... well, you see...' She sighed. 'Oh, I don't think it matters if I tell you. That is a part of my enchanted map, found by a friend of mine. She must be around here somewhere too...'
She stood on her toes but couldn't discover anyone else. 'Anyway, this map shows where everyone in the academy is.'
She slid her hand in her pocket and showed the boy the complete map. 'You see?' she asked, pointing at two dots in the library. One said: "Kari Leigh Firestone", and the other said: "Rashar".
'It's strange that you were drawn to the library,' Kari continued. 'Perhaps they are unknown forces working here.' She swallowed, and hoped that it wouldn't be evil forces. 'I was also sort of drawn to this place. I just ended up here during my walk. I wonder what it means...'
She watched Rashar confusedly.

"That must be a really useful map to you. The magic is i great within it."
Where did she get that? I wonder if she stole it from a higher wizard...That was probably the friend that was in here with her earlier.
"That is odd that you were guided by a strange force too. Maybe we are searching for the same thing? Did you find what you were looking for?"
I know she grabbed a book when she left....maybe that is what is calling me too. She got to it first though...I will let her bring that subject to attention, I want to see if she can help me. I hope she is not guided by an evil force.

Kari bit her lip. 'Well, I was looking for a book. A very powerful spell is said to be in it. I need it...' she hesitated for a moment, 'to defeat the woman who has killed my family and banned my love to an unknown dimension.'
She knew she had said too much. Why was she always that naieve? She pondered heavily. Would she tell him she had found the book? Well, Renate had found it. And they weren't sure yet if the spell was really in it, but they had found the book, and that was of great importance.

"That must be tied in with very strong magick. I am sorry to hear about your familly, maybe I could help you out in some way."
Why was he offering help to this stranger? Since the beholder destroyed all that he once owned, Rashar hadn't shared a full conversation with another adventurer, let alone help one. But this girl had something in her eyes, something that almost needed revenge to set her free.

I want to convince her that I may be able to help. This could be hard, but maybe she could help me while helping herself.
He flinched as he remembered something "But this book you speak of...Did you find it yet?"

Kari nodded slowly. 'Yes... I've found it. But I haven't got it on me right now. My friend has it.'
She felt quite on her ease now. She was sure that this boy meant no harm.

"What was the book cal-"

A flash of red light blinked in the corner for an instant and was out.
"There it is again!"

Suddenly the sun peeked in through a crack in the wall.
"We have to get out of here! Look it's morning already."
What was that light in the corner...I will come back tomarrow in the evening when everyone is laying down for the night. Maybe Kari could come with me? We can talk about it later.

Kari nodded hastily. 'We have to return to the dormitories immediately! The secretary is coming soon, if she notices we're still here!'
She made attempts to run out of the library, but hesitated and turned around to Rashar.
'Maybe I'll see you again,' she said. 'I want to find out what is going on here. I'll be back here tonight, okay?'
She didn't wait for an answer and leapt to the corridor, after which she ran towards her dormitory, jumped into her bed and pulled the blankets over her head, without taking off her dressing gown.

Feeling tired and strange Selena lifted up the tablecloth to see if everyone had gone yet. She had wanted to get out from under the table before..but something told her she just couldn't. An instinct. A little voice that kept calling out to her in her mind.

Why weren't you on that map, Selena? She bit her lip. They were ALL on there. Everyone, everyone but me....How can that be? I am sitting right here! In this very room!

She got up from underneath the table, dusting off her clothes. The ground had been quite filthy.

Quickly she walked towards the door, also trying to get out of the hands of the school staff. But as she was on her way to the drawing room, where she always had her breakfast, she couldn't help but think about the map. Even though the book was much more important.

Oh, forget about the book. Renate has it. And Kari is with her. It's in safe hands. I needn't worry about that. But the map... A few shivers went down her spine, freezing her to the ground. It should have showed you too. Not only them. There is something just not right about this. Maybe they shouldn't know I got back here a day earlier from the mini break. Maybe they shouldn't...because...there are more forces calling out to me than Kameo's book. Maybe...they aren't supposed to have the book because something terrible is going to happen to them. And maybe that's why someone's keeping you annonymous. Because 'they' aren't supposed to know you're here to help.

Selena sighed as she watched the sun rise through one of the small castel windows. 'Oh, there is something dark going on here...I can feel it choke me...'

Kari came out of bed again when she heard the usual knock on her door, and a yell to tell her breakfast was ready.
She sighed deeply and jumped onto the cold floor, after which she dressed herself and brushed her hair. She had a strange feeling about this day. She felt very nervous, just because she knew she had to return to the library again to find out what exactly was going on there.
She also felt bad because it was a secret. She usually didn't keep secrets, not even to her friends. And she didn't want to tell Renate about this. Renate wasn't allowed to know that she had told someone else about the map, and the book. And the strange forces around here. She didn't want Renate to worry.
Or is something else the cause? she thought. Maybe I'm finally doing something on my own. Maybe that's it.
She took a deep breath, looked into the mirror for one last time and then opened the door to descend the stairs. She always met Renate here, but for some reason the girl wasn't here right now.
Kari shrugged and checked the clock on the wall. It was half past eight already. Perhaps Renate was in the dining hall.
She made her way to the large hall that was already filled with students of the academy. Kari cast desperate looks around, but she didn't see Renate, nor the boy of the library.
She sat down at the end of a table with a lonely and worrying feeling in her stomach. This was not good. What had happened?

Rashar was just closing the door to the restricted area when he heard someone talking.
"I think some students were in here last night. I will check it out and see if they left anything behind.....yes don't worry, you know what i do to people that are in the wrong places at the wrong time."
Rashar felt the sweat running down his face. He had to do something or else he would be caught. The door to the library opened and what steppped in caught him by surprise. It was not part of the Achademy's staff. He quickly hid in the shadows and hoped with all of his life that nothing bad would happen.

Kari quickly ate her sandwich, drank her juice and sneaked out of the dining hall, to search Renate before the first lessons would start.
She searched the grounds, the classrooms, the dormitories, but couldn't find her. The library then? she thought tiredly. Maybe Renate had returned to do some more research about the book. Maybe she just needed to do some homework, who knows?
Kari was glad she didn't need to worry anymore to be caught, for she could now legally enter the library. But when she reached it, she noticed that the door was locked.
That is strange. The library's never locked, not even at night!
She looked around, but couldn't find anyone who could help her. She sighed and sat down the small table she had knocked over last night. Perhaps the secretary was late.
She intended to play with her amulet, as she always did, but received a huge shock. It was gone! Her amulet was gone!
She jumped up in fear. Oh no, her precious amulet! She looked at the floor but couldn't see it. She was sure she still had it yesterday, before she went to... the library.
She hit her forehead. She probably dropped it there. And she couldn't get into it now to look.
Desperately, she sat down again. First Renate. Now her amulet.

She stood up, and decided to look for Selena.

Rashar was under a table in the corner of the room. Shadows ingulfed his form as the figure searched for any signs of life. As he was turning to get a more comfortable possition he saw something shimmer. He bent over to get a better look but a foot stopped infront of him. The figure reached down, not noticing the assassin, and grabbed the amulet. As he lifted it, an aura surrounded the man and slowly faded.
What was that? I didn't notice it before...

Kari just intended to go back to the dining hall to find Selena, when she heard noises in the library. She raised her head abruptly, and quickly returned to the door. She was hearing footsteps, and a strange buzzing sound that irritated her ears.
She took a deep breath and started knocking on the door. What was going on in there?
'Hello?' she shouted. 'Is anyone in there? Can anyone open the door please?'